Another milestone for Crosby in blowout loss

With just about most milestones he reaches, Sidney Crosby will usually deflect to team-wide results instead ruminating on individual accomplishments.

Be it a legitimate record or a mark in which the significance is artificially manufactured, Crosby’s focus remains on the group and not himself.

And, presumably, he was not burdened with a surplus of elation after what happened to his team Thursday.

Despite Crosby ensuring he would become the first player in NHL history to average a point per game in 20 consecutive seasons, the Pittsburgh Penguins suffered one of their worst losses of 202425 as they were trampled by the Buffalo Sabres, one of the NHL’s worst squads, 7-3, at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, N.Y.

Crosby, who scored a goal in the first period to establish the mark, previously shared the distinction of 19 consecutive seasons with Wayne Gretzky.

It’s been a season full of milestones co-existing with defeats for Crosby and the Penguins. When he reached the 600-goal threshold in a 6-1 home loss to the Utah Hockey Club on Nov. 23, he was not all that eager to celebrate.

“That’s something you probably think about more after you’re done playing,” Crosby said that night.

There was plenty to think about with Thursday’s game for the visitors. And little of it was positive almost from the start.

For the 14th time this season, the Penguins surrendered a goal on the first shot they faced in a contest. Sabres forward Tage Thompson contributed to that mark with his 36th goal of the season a mere 27 seconds into regulation. Taking advantage of a two-on-one rush, he fired a wrister by goaltender Tristan Jarry’s blocker.

Sabres forward Peyton Krebs’ seventh goal came at 4:44 of the first period via a forehand tap-in.

Crosby’s 26th goal of the season came at 11:11 of the opening frame.

Racing to claim a loose puck deep on Buffalo’s left boards, Penguins defenseman Matt Grzelcyk rimmed it to the end wall for Penguins forward Rickard Rakell, who then offloaded the puck below the left hashmark. Crosby stopped the puck with his right skate then swiped a forehand shot by goaltender James Reimer’s glove.

Sabres forward Jiri Kulich’s 13th goal came 3:36 into the second period thanks to a wrister from the left hashmark that beat Jarry’s blocker.

Potentially for humanitarian concerns, Jarry was pulled for the second consecutive game when he allowed defenseman Mattias Samuelsson’s fourth goal only 104 seconds later via a near-side wrister from the right circle.

Jarry unofficially finished with eight saves on 12 shots in 25:20 of ice time as his record tumbled to 12-11-5. As was the case in Tuesday’s 6-1 road loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, he was replaced by Alex Nedeljkovic.

Kulich struck again at 11:34 of the middle frame. He was followed by Sabres rookie forward Tyler Kozak’s third goal a mere 36 seconds later.

Late in the second at the 19:34 mark, Sabres forward Alex Tuch tallied his 28th goal during a four-on-four scenario.

Penguins forward Blake Lizotte was credited with his 10th goal came 2:16 into the third period after Sabres forward Krebs inadvertently poked a rebound into his own cage.

The scoring was capped at 13:54 of the final period via Penguins forward Kevin Hayes’ 11th goal.

Nedeljkovic stopped 15 of 18 shots in the 33:58 of ice time he had.

Notes: Penguins forward Evgeni Malkin was scratched for the second consecutive game due to an undisclosed injury. He was joined by forward Boko Imama due to an undisclosed injury as well. … Penguins defenseman Ryan Shea rejoined the lineup after missing seven games with a suspected left hand or wrist injury. … Those comings and goings led to the Penguins dressing an irregular lineup of 11 forwards and seven defensemen.